Lockheed to Provide Software to STRATCOM

On Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced it has awarded Lockheed Martin(NYSE:LMT) a $49.6 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide "sustainment and maintenance of the Global Strike and Product Support suite of software applications within the Mission Planning and Analysis System (MPAS) framework."

The terms refer to a program run by the U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM -- the nuclear deterrent force -- out of Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. MPAS is aimed at "developing the national deterrence war plans offering both nuclear and non-nuclear weapon options." Non-nuclear deterrent options overseen by STRATCOM include such varied capabilities as space operations, cyber warfare, and ballistic missile defense. "Global strike," of course, refers to the nuclear option.

Lockheed is being hired to support STRATCOM's operations for the period from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2018, with work on the current award expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2018.

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